Her sunny disposition endears her not just to hotel guests, but to her colleagues too. She loves her job and it shows. Analyn Pilar's Linen Attendant at the Housekeeping Department of Towers Rotana Hotel is just one more pillar that holds up Rotana as one of the best in the hospitality business.
Better opportunities
All areas of the hotel operation have their own unique requirements and demands but effectively running the linen room guarantees a few headaches. At any given time a Linen Attendant has to smoothly process the collection, cleaning and distribution of linen for the rooms and almost 2000 uniform items. This keeps the linen room team on their toes.
Housekeeping in hospitality is not for everyone. One of the main challenges is hiring the right people for the right job. For some, like Analyn Pilar, Linen Attendant at Towers Rotana Hotel, this comes naturally, depending on their culture or background. She walks a tightrope of ensuring that the rooms are available to guests upon check in, and that the staff of the hotel is elegantly turned out with spotless uniforms. And yet Pilar smiles her big smile and says she loves her job.
It is important to recognise talent and then retain this talent and keep employees motivated. Talking to Pilar one realises that those crisp smooth silky sheets the guest sinks into at the end of a tiring day, are the result of a carefully choreography movement of men, material and mathematical precision.
Originally from Manila, Philippines, Pilar moved to the UAE in 2003. Back home, she used to work as a checker in a well-known thread company until the UAE beckoned. It helped that her sister also lives here. It also helped that a friend recommended that she apply at Towers Rotana Hotel. Now she is happily settled in Dubai with her husband and five-year old daughter.
Uniform duties
As linen attendant, Pilar's duties include handling the hotel's uniforms but she begins her day with making an inventory and tabulating the items in the lost and found department of the hotel. She clocks in at seven in the morning.
"The lost and found items are very important in the hotel," she says. "It is part of my responsibility to keep records of all the items and retrace whenever needed. I keep all the information of the guest: room number, history of their stay. Our team tries to contact the guest if he is still in the country and we try to reach him and inform him about his stuff. If the guest has left, the Front Office Department tries to reach him by e-mail or through his company and leave him a message. Meanwhile, the item will remain at the lost and found store. When the guest shows up, sometimes I meet him personally and ask for his ID and provide him with the item and get his signature upon returning his property."
This linen attendant also assists the order takers. An order taker is one who receives guests' calls and requests and who coordinates with the Front Office and Engineering departments to check on VIP arrivals or any room maintenance requests.
That done Pilar issues floor keys to the room attendants. "Afterwards, I check the uniforms: their condition, freshness and cleanliness. I also coordinate with the tailor for the new employees who are joining the hotel and make sure of the sizes, the type of uniform to be made, whether it's for F&B, housekeeping, kitchen, or other departments," says Pilar describing a typical day at her job.
It has to be a difficult job, but Pilar smiles and says, "Honestly, I like my job and don't feel it is difficult." Sometimes however, short deadlines can bring on the worry. She has to follow up with the Laundry Department to make sure that they deliver the uniforms on time. "I also keep an eye on the staff," she stresses, "to make sure that they follow the linen room timings so that my team and I can coordinate with the Laundry Department to have the uniforms cleaned and delivered on time."
When that is done Pilar goes that extra mile which is why she is such a hit with her colleagues too, "I like to assist my colleagues, follow up, and serve the guests whenever required." She is always ready to lend a helping hand, pitching in for colleagues who are on vacation or assisting her co-workers at the Housekeeping Department when there are pressing requirements like urgent repairs requiring sewing or embroidering.
Looking ahead
At the moment, Pilar is happy and content in her job. "I intend to continue with Towers Rotana Hotel. In the future, I look forward to being promoted as linen supervisor or housekeeping order taker." If she had a chance which department would she choose to move to? "The pastry department," she beams. "I like cooking and I'm very interested to learn how to make delicious pastries especially different types of chocolate cakes."
"My job is important as I make sure that all staff members are dressed up in fresh, clean uniforms, which reflect well on the hotel"
© Hospitality 2007
